Influence of Exclusive Enteral Nutrition Therapy on Bone Density and Geometry in Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Patients

Background and Aims: Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) induces
remissionin patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). We investigated the
short-termimpact of EEN on bone quality and muscle mass in children
with CD.Methods: Ten newly diagnosed CD patients (7 male, 10.6-17.7
years ofage) were assessed by peripheral quantitative computed
tomography (pQCT)at the forearm before starting an 8-weeks
treatment with EEN, and after12 and 52 weeks. No steroids or
biologicals were applied. Trabecular andcortical bone mineral
density, total bone, and muscle cross-sectionalarea (CSA) were
measured by pQCT and expressed as age- and sex-specificz-scores;
size-dependent CSAs were corrected for low height for age.Wilcoxon
rank sum test was applied. Results: Remission at week 12
wasachieved in 8 patients; 2 still had mild disease.